The rumour went that President Barack Obama wouldn't be visiting Ireland any time soon because of a private joke Enda Kenny told nine years ago.

Mr Kenny was caught up in controversy just months into his leadership of FG in 2002 when he used the word "nigger". He told a gathering about a Moroccan holiday where former FG senator Maurice Manning thought a drink called 'Lumumba' was named after Patrice Lamumba, first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. But the barman said it was actually named after "some nigger who died dans la guerre (in the war)".

Mr Kenny apologised at the time, but some political black ops were trying to raise it again in the past few days.